WTF? Does anyone know about this? It sounds like it's bunk to me. If true, I can see a revolt among iPhone users. One has to wonder if this isn't just Apple's attempt to placate recording companies and artists by saying "hey! we're doing everything we can!". Some credence to that theory is lent below:

Quote:

The leading computer company plans to build a system that will sense when people are trying to video live events and turn off their cameras.

A patent application filed by Apple revealed how the technology would work.

If an iPhone were held up and used to film during a concert infra-red sensors would detect it.

These sensors would then contact the iPhone and automatically disable its camera function.

People would still be able to send text messages and make calls.

The new technology is seen as an attempt to protect the interests of event organisers and broadcasters who have exclusive rights to concerts.

The companies are often left frustrated when videos of shows appear online via websites such as YouTube which let users watch them for free.

Apple filed for the patent 18 months ago and it is thought if successful it will help them negotiate deals with record labels to sell content through iTunes.

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

It's a patent they just got that details software that can recognize certain things that shouldn't be being recorded and stops recording them.

No actual software exists that can do this. It's nothing more than a few images in a patent. Leave it to the media to claim it's not only real, but imminent.

I remember reading this a few weeks ago and then seeing a picture of a concert in action being displayed on screen at the WWDC Keynote. It made me laugh. Apple won't do this at all.

I can't imagine that happening either. I hadn't heard about the patent. I also agree that there is no software I know of that can do this in reality. As amazing as my iPhone is, it can't even shoot in low light much less figure out it's at an Insane Clown Posse concert and turn it self off.

*Note: No, I don't actually go to ICP concerts.

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

I can't imagine that happening either. I hadn't heard about the patent. I also agree that there is no software I know of that can do this in reality. As amazing as my iPhone is, it can't even shoot in low light much less figure out it's at an Insane Clown Posse concert and turn it self off.

No way this will show up anywhere, ever. Imagine going to your kids' Christmas pageant, and the software "thinks" you're filming a live concert. Also, if Apple does this, all anyone else would do would be to use a different device. It's not like HTC and all of the others are going to follow suit or something. I call it FUD, fabricated to make the "closed garden, Apple wants to control your phone" idiots cum in their pants.

LOL please it's just a patent filing. If Apple actually does that many people will be dumping their iPhones for Android. Thanks for playing.

There's no way the organisers can stop concert recordings with phones. What people should invent is something kinda like what Apple patented - an app that detects what concert you are recording and then (up)sell you value-added things you can buy with one click when you're hyped up during the concert. Like merchandise, videos, etc. Or have apps that interact in real time with the concert performance and integrate with social networks.

For example, when I am at a DJ gig I want to be able to see the track list of the set as the DJ plays each track. One-click FB or Twitter postings of the track and my response to it would be cool too.

Clubs could have some sort of thing to allow for augmented reality... Imagine waving your phone around and seeing labels pop up like where the bar is, toilet locations, drink specials, mini-drinking/social party games. The social aspect could be implemented within the club itself... For example during each track everyone in the club can vote on it in realtime, vote on upcoming tracks, and there could be even a little "matchmaking" game for people with the same interests, proximity detection, etc.

It's all coming soon and probably some of my ideas are already being investigated, I'm just tapping into the global stream of consciousness.

Oh, and FYI: ACTA will pertain to all Operating Systems! Buying Android, Symbian, Cydia, or RIM, etc., won't work to circumvent DRM if ACTA is effected!

You realize, of course, that it's likely there will be applications for every single OS that circumvent this nonsense, provided it even does get passed?

Parttimer, have you ever considered a job as a tech analyst? You're incredibly good at the 'making crap up' part of their job, and the rest (being able to write complete sentences) seems to be a cakewalk for you. Look into it.

It's clear that few people actually looked at the patent application. This does NOT use image or scene recognition, but adds an infrared sensing capability to the camera, and uses it to search for "encoded data". The device that then do something (or not do something) based on the data.

The technology to do this is pretty simple, much like a TV remote control, or a Wiimote. What is new here is that it couples the infrared sensing with a visible-light camera. These would enable new applications. People can tag reality with infrared transmitters.

One possible function would be for concert producers or movie theaters to have a "do not record" signal. This in itself would probably not be high-value, as cameras would not universally comply. Anyone who really wanted to record would just buy another camera.

What is more valuable would be making more information available to users (like retail customers) without any significant visual display.

It struck me that the transmitter part was not covered in the application. However, I don't see how it would be fundamentally different from a TV remote transmitter or other infrared beacons (e.g., Roomba, Wii).

Valid points, or more pointless Jobs-bashing? Can't say I'll ever switch back to PC because of stuff like this, it always seems so intangible. Are people right to get pissed off with Apple? Do we have any moral responsibility to halt Apple's ubiquity, or is that just a sign of its own (fairly-won) success?